World History Roleplaying Game
- Thread starter pogre
- Start date
pogre
Legend
Lots of good thoughts here, including some worthwhile cautions.
I'm not envisioning a civ-type conflict game. What I want to create is a game where students time travel with their characters through the various civilizations we study. The game must start simply and I can add complexity to the rules as we progress through eras.
I agree part of the challenge is getting students to attempt to take on the roles of ancient peoples whose outlooks are so very different than our own. The game should create incentives for this.
Thanks for the board game suggestions. Tonquez - your Egyptian game sounds very cool!
I'll look into HeroQuest - I've never read it.
As far as those concerned about the length of time playing games - it is a legitimate concern. I play Diplomacy for an entire week. We run a debate in the Greek Agora for three days. In other words I do try to posthole some areas. While I may lose some ground taking the time for these projects, I think the result is the history is much more memorable.
However, I would like the RPG to be something that has continuity throughout the school year. A game we could update or pick-up when I have a spare ten minutes here and there.
Has anyone played a successful LARP with 25 or more people? What made it successful? What elements do you think I could port over to my classroom? Are there a quintessential set of rules that I should look at? Obviously, this is all new territory to me.
I'm not envisioning a civ-type conflict game. What I want to create is a game where students time travel with their characters through the various civilizations we study. The game must start simply and I can add complexity to the rules as we progress through eras.
I agree part of the challenge is getting students to attempt to take on the roles of ancient peoples whose outlooks are so very different than our own. The game should create incentives for this.
Thanks for the board game suggestions. Tonquez - your Egyptian game sounds very cool!
I'll look into HeroQuest - I've never read it.
As far as those concerned about the length of time playing games - it is a legitimate concern. I play Diplomacy for an entire week. We run a debate in the Greek Agora for three days. In other words I do try to posthole some areas. While I may lose some ground taking the time for these projects, I think the result is the history is much more memorable.
However, I would like the RPG to be something that has continuity throughout the school year. A game we could update or pick-up when I have a spare ten minutes here and there.
Has anyone played a successful LARP with 25 or more people? What made it successful? What elements do you think I could port over to my classroom? Are there a quintessential set of rules that I should look at? Obviously, this is all new territory to me.
Arrgh! Mark!
First Post
Pogre, you have an absolutely excellent idea. As a pre-service History/English teacher, I give you kudos. Tonguez, likewise.
I have no idea what Diplomacy is, but I was contemplating how to break the ice on some of the history. And I think a quasi-roleplaying game would be excellent.
Tonguez, could you explain your Egyptian game more fully?
I did have one idea; for ancient Athens you could have each student make a speech to the other "Men", pleading for their life from their persona's perspective. The other students judge them worthy of death or not.
I have no idea what Diplomacy is, but I was contemplating how to break the ice on some of the history. And I think a quasi-roleplaying game would be excellent.
Tonguez, could you explain your Egyptian game more fully?
I did have one idea; for ancient Athens you could have each student make a speech to the other "Men", pleading for their life from their persona's perspective. The other students judge them worthy of death or not.
Crothian
First Post
You might want to just find a simple and easily adpatible rules light game and use various RPG products from othe rsources like the GURPS history books or the Green Ronin Mystic Vista line or just history books to fill in the detais that you want.
LARPS with 25+ people work best when you have more then one person running the show. You have like one head person in charge of everything and then a few other people familar with the story and the rules to act like referee. They can always request help from the true DM if needed,
LARPS with 25+ people work best when you have more then one person running the show. You have like one head person in charge of everything and then a few other people familar with the story and the rules to act like referee. They can always request help from the true DM if needed,
pogre
Legend
Crothian said:
Rules suggestion? I was hoping to get a framework to create from - I'll do this from the ground up only if I have to!
Arrgh! Mark! said:
Thanks! You're embarking on a wonderful career - good luck. Your idea about Ancient Greece is a good one and somewhat similar to the Agora debate I run in class.
Baron Opal
First Post
LARP Recomendations
Here's some ideas from the LARPs that I have played in:
Each character should have two major goals and three minor goals. For a game lasting 8-10 hrs, it should take 1-2 hrs to fulfill a minor goal and 6-8 hrs to fulfill a major goal.
Each character should have ties to about 20% of the other PCs. Whether this is because the characters are from the same clan, guild, nation, whatever. Major rivals might also be identified.
There should be limited resources available. If the Athenians, Egyptians, and Persians need tin for bronzework, there should only be 2 units available. This will encourage discussion and bargaining. And, when the third player discovers his people have no tin, that's OK, be cause her has four other goals to work on.
Look up some political discussions. The Council of Nicea, where the ideology of the early Christian church was codified, is a great example of numerous factions getting together, some big, some small, and working though politics to achieve a goal. While you can't use that exactly, it should make for some great inspiration.
I played in a game of How the West Was One, a fun game based in western Glorantha. (RuneQuest) Looking over a copy might be a great first step for you.
You must put Glorantha with How The West Was One other wise you get losts of other garbage.
Baron Opal
Here's some ideas from the LARPs that I have played in:
Each character should have two major goals and three minor goals. For a game lasting 8-10 hrs, it should take 1-2 hrs to fulfill a minor goal and 6-8 hrs to fulfill a major goal.
Each character should have ties to about 20% of the other PCs. Whether this is because the characters are from the same clan, guild, nation, whatever. Major rivals might also be identified.
There should be limited resources available. If the Athenians, Egyptians, and Persians need tin for bronzework, there should only be 2 units available. This will encourage discussion and bargaining. And, when the third player discovers his people have no tin, that's OK, be cause her has four other goals to work on.
Look up some political discussions. The Council of Nicea, where the ideology of the early Christian church was codified, is a great example of numerous factions getting together, some big, some small, and working though politics to achieve a goal. While you can't use that exactly, it should make for some great inspiration.
I played in a game of How the West Was One, a fun game based in western Glorantha. (RuneQuest) Looking over a copy might be a great first step for you.
You must put Glorantha with How The West Was One other wise you get losts of other garbage.
Baron Opal
Spell
First Post
pogre said:
GURPS lite is free at www.sjgames.com and, qell, rule light.
else, try fudge. also free (just type it into google, and you will get the link) and completely editable. in fact it could be seen as a rpg construction engine.
i hope this helps.
Snowy
Explorer
Theres as many different styles of LARP as there are RPGs. I regularly go to weekend events that are around 50 people and a few times a year go to ones that are about 4 or 5 thousand. Those are "in a field/wood" high magic and comabt larps though, your probably looking for something a bit more like some of the vampire games (not really sure think its called MET?) often a few hours in a room or buiding skills and disputes resolved by scissors paper stone (a system often reviled by more active larpers 
).
Theres a forum I read which is a sort of british meta-larp forum its called pagga pops straight out of google if you search it. If you want to try and build a LARP system theres threads about creation and all sorts of similar things there.
). Theres a forum I read which is a sort of british meta-larp forum its called pagga pops straight out of google if you search it. If you want to try and build a LARP system theres threads about creation and all sorts of similar things there.
WayneLigon
Adventurer
When doing Twilight 2000, the GDW staff apparently used an inhouse system to 'play' the various countries and use what happened in the game to create a plausible future history. I thought at one time that The Game as it was called was to be included in the reprint of TW2000 from Far Future but I don't see any confirmation of that. Using that might be good once you get into the modern era.
BlackMoria
First Post
You could use a game system like D20 Modern, D20 Future, Stargate, etc. for characters and base rules. Then do a 'Sliders' or Time Travel game.
Basic premise of the game - a time villain is trying to change time. Your students are Bureau of Time agents trying to stop/capture him.
Then have your villain go to 'events' in time trying to change events. Your players interact with the peoples and cultures of that time, trying to find the villain. If you want to showcase pivotal events in history, those pivotal events are the targets of the villain - for example, the villain is trying to prevent Julius Caesar from being assassinated. The PCs try to stop them. In the course of doing so, they experience Roman culture of that day, interact with the movers and shakers, etc.
You can do fun things like a PC find himself 'a headliner' in the games. They can learn what the life of a glatiator (sp?) was like....from the glatiators prespective.
Basic premise of the game - a time villain is trying to change time. Your students are Bureau of Time agents trying to stop/capture him.
Then have your villain go to 'events' in time trying to change events. Your players interact with the peoples and cultures of that time, trying to find the villain. If you want to showcase pivotal events in history, those pivotal events are the targets of the villain - for example, the villain is trying to prevent Julius Caesar from being assassinated. The PCs try to stop them. In the course of doing so, they experience Roman culture of that day, interact with the movers and shakers, etc.
You can do fun things like a PC find himself 'a headliner' in the games. They can learn what the life of a glatiator (sp?) was like....from the glatiators prespective.
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